Burggarten Palmenhaus

Burggarten Palmenhaus is a large Art Nouveau greenhouse built in the gardens of the Hofburg Palace of Vienna. Like the gardens in which it resides, the original Palmenhaus was designed by Ludwig Gabriel von Remy, but this was torn down, its replacement completed in 1901, designed by Friedrich Ohmann.

Visitors to the Burggarten Palmenhaus can now see the butterflies that reside there, earning it the alternative name of the Schmetterling Haus or ‘Butterfly House’.

Burggarten Palmenhaus history

The original Burggarten Palmenhaus was built in 1822, under the reign of the Austrian emperor, Franz I. As with the nearby Volksgarten, the planners of the Burggarten Imperial park were Ludwig Gabriel von Remy and the court gardener, Franz Antoine the older.

The design also saw the participation of Emperor Franz who was a keen gardener and selected new types of plants from all over the world to be part of this lavish private garden. Over the years the layout was adapted to the style of an English landscape garden and a pond was added, as well as the original palm house.

However, almost 80 years later, the palm house was reconstructed in the Jugendsil architectural style, designed by architect Friedrich Ohmann. Similar to Art Nouveau, Jugendsil was a German movement that departed from the academy’s neoclassical and historicist styles.

The building of the new 2,000 metre squared glass and steel palm house therefore represented a changing vision of Vienna in the shadow of the government at Hofsburg Palace. The gardens and palm house finally opened to the public in 1919.

Burggarten Palmenhaus today

Today, the Palmenhause still functions as a greenhouse and is home to many exotic varieties of plants, often used as a dramatic backdrop for official events. Located in the Burggarten Imperial Palace Garden, the area is a great spot to relax and admire the grand vestiges of Austria’s imperial past, as well as watching the butterflies in the palm houses’ left wing.

After exploring this marvel of early 20th century nouveau architecture, stop at the popular Palmenhaus restauarant-café for a sweet treat in the sunshine as you watch the bustle of the city.

Getting to Burggarten Palmenhaus

Located in the city’s historic centre, you can reach the Burggarten Palmenhaus via the city’s tram line. The closest tram stop is Burgring on lines 1, 2, 71, D and E1. On foot, entrances to the Burggarten park are found at the Ringstrasse and from the Hanuschgasse at the Albertina.